Fighting Back
by want.yellow.laces
Summary: Because sitting around solves nothing. Voldemort is in power as Lily enters her sixth year at Hogwarts. This is a story of how she learns to live, love and fight back.
1. One

One.

Saturday

Lily turned her coat up against the wind as she made her way to The Leaky Cauldron. She wished she could have worn her robes but they would certainly raise more than a few eyebrows in Muggle London. She waved goodbye to Tom, the barkeeper, and breathed a sigh as she stepped into the muggle world. The transition from one world to the other never failed to simultaneously disorient and relieve her. She blamed her family, and she blamed Snape. She could never isolate herself in or from either of her worlds. More than a couple of months amid magic would terrify her as a couple without would. Recently, however, she felt more at peace with wizardry than she ever had, and the muggle self defense classes she taught had ceased to seem as the self mandated therapy they initially had.

Popping out a cigarette, she started on her long trek to Verone Alley, a couple of kilometres away. She could have apparated, true, but the long walk served as a warm up for the class.

"Evening, Wicked!," she smiled, having stomped her fag before entering Mr Rick's establishment. He was a sharp, lean, jovial man of fifty three, who had taught Lily all she knew with regards to muggle brawling.

"You're late young lady! The little ones have been waiting over an hour!," the man roared as she edged around him to the back room, wary of his wagging finger "And don't let me catch any foul language from you in front of them, Bree swore so the last time, that the missus was left blushing!."  
Lily nodded along with him. "And," he went on,"if I discover any more post-half-night sneak outings, you can find room elsewhere, you hear me?"

"Oh, Wicked, I was just letting Cheshire out for a hunt!" Cheshire was her owl. Grinning at his unbelieving snort, she made her way to her ladies in wait.

"Hello lovelies, trust you had a good day? Come on, enough dawdling already!"

She ushered them through their exercises with the ease that comes from routine, trying to plan her way through the studying she needed to finish that night in the back of her head. Unsurprisingly, her mind wandered.

She was utterly amused, utterly frustrated with how muggles and wizards were constantly affected by one other, with neither the wiser. Back, in around second year, the number of muggle muggings and random murders had mysteriously escalated. Those in the wizarding world had as well, however without any farce of mystery. Her mum had enrolled both Petunia and Lily for the classes where Lily now taught, in the hopes that they'd both atleast be safe on the streets. She hadn't known about the wizarding world crisis. About the death eaters, about Voldemort. And so Lily was sufficiently proficient in the ways of muggle street fighting. Over the years, many more parents saw the wisdom in this and more allowed girls into such classes despite it's unorthodox nature. After her mother's death, Lily needed a place to live and Mr Rick, Wicked, had barked at her to bring her things to the spare room above this very shop. Lily had volunteered to coach the kids in return. He had refused accepting rent.

Lisa, her youngest was having trouble with a kick, and Lily moved over to help. "Look here, you've got to move your leg in an arc," she demonstrated, "like this, you see, that's why they call it a roundhouse kick,hmm? Alright, lets see you try it again."

That night, tucked in bed, Lily addressed the pile of letters that had accumulated over the week. She opened Mary's first.

_Lily!_  
_You were right! Well, technically, no, Black didn't break into the house, but that's only because he didn't need to seeing as he'd charmed Mum to a stuttering,blushing mess! So, one fine morning I walk down to the kitchen IN JUST MY NIGHTGOWN mind, and he's just sitting there at the kitchen table being treated to a five course breakfast, looks up when I enter and goes all, "Nice slippers," in that smarmy voice of his. I can not believe it. So, now I owe him six galleons and a knut. Should have listened to you. But, honestly, can you believe that woman? When I brought Sam home the summer before, she hovered over us throughout his visit with this most disapproving countenance. Merlin, I hate Black. _  
_Now tell me how you're doing? Juggling two jobs must be hard. which one's worse, you think? How's ? My best to him._  
_Okay, Lily, I know you know I'm going to say this, but could you please just consider visi-_

Abandoning that, she skipped over to the next one.

_Dear Lily,_

_How is your summer going so far? Are you having fun working at the QQS? James mentioned running into you when he stepped in for some new broom polish, I think? Working in Diagon Alley usually promises to be interesting, at the very least. _

_ Have you heard from Mary? I owe Sirius a galleon. Should have learned not to bet against that git._

_ Quick favour, could you send in a letter to James as a Quality Quidditch Supplies employee that the new Cleansweep comes out this weekend? One of those fake posters, like you did for the Slytherin team in third year, please? Its part of this plan that Sirius is trying to pull over James. _

_The vacation thus far has been lively. The lads and I stayed over at Peter's for a while. Sirius and Peter somehow managed to get the local muggle postman to fart at every doorstep. Loudly and twice, if the recipient was a bird. James baked a cake. Yes, I am giving you dirt on him to get you to help me out about the prank. Mrs. Pettigrew is wildly besotted with me since I have managed to keep my hands clean. She isn't aware that I put the dungbomb in James' cake._

_Don't forget to write back, you lazy arse! Oh, and any luck on Question 4, Charms homework?_

_Love,_  
_Remus_

_Dearest Bob,_  
_Mind writing to Mary, telling her I may have enchanted something in her house to burst into Sirius-Love-Notes should a parent touch it?_  
_I haven't, but I reckon it'll drive her nuts, yeah? _  
_Did I mention how smashing you looked the other day? _  
_Sirius_

After that was the letter from Hogwarts, her pay from QQS for the week, the Evening Prophet, blah, blah, she lost interest. The next day was a Sunday, she figured she could pen her replies then. Sadly, she just wouldn't have the time.

Sunday

"Lily, come on, wake up," Alice shook her.

"What time's it?," Lily asked drowsily.

"Its two in the morning, but you need to ge-"

"Get out."

"Lil-"

"Go away."

"There's been an attack, for crying out loud!"

Lily shot up straight, rubbing her eyes. "Jesus, not again. What happened?" she asked, jumping off the bed and beginning to frantically look for some pants to pull on.

"You know the kids staying over at Hogwarts all year because of Voldemort? Well, they had a Hogsmeade weekend and some Death eaters decided to tag along. Meadowes sent me an owl, told me to round up as many upperclassmen as I could and head over. I owled Marlene and came for you. Done, yeah? Lets go."

They made their way out as quietly as they could, but WIcked was waiting at the door, frowning in that disapproving-judging-aunt way of his

"I'll explain when I'm back Wicked. Emergency." The two of them must've looked a mess, Wicked just nodded, sighed and let them pass. They apparated soon as the door closed.

Lily had only seen Hogsmeade in the night once before. A well meaning Professor Flitwick had arranged for a debate in fourth year. It quickly escalated till most of the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors were locked in a screaming match. She never knew for sure who fired the first hex, but, well, there had been no more debates. Potter caught her whining about it to Marlene, called her a prig, she cursed him and they both got detention. They had to clean the trophy room under Filch's supervision. Potter kept taunting the caretaker till she asked him to kindly shut the hell up. He scoffed that she was too straight laced for any kind of fun, she ended up sneaking to Hogsmeade with him to prove a point. They tried to steal some cockroach cluster from Honeydukes, but they chickened out and left some gold in the jar. When they finally made it back, they were arguing so loudly about who got to chuck some in Black's lunch the next day that they got caught and ended up with a month's detentions.

This time there was no sense of mischief in the air. It was still, too still, made more unnatural by the evident residues of magic in the night. Lily shivered and clutched her wand tightly in her hand. They'd landed some ways from the village centre, in an alley unlikely to be occupied. They made for the Broomsticks in as hurried steps as caution could allow. Suddenly, Lily heard the pop of apparition right behind her. She spun around quickly, and James Potter was incredibly lucky he was wearing his Gryff jumper or he'd have been hexed silly by the witch before him.

"Potter, you prat!", Lily whispered furiously, her heart having yet to calm from the adrenaline.

James Potter, black haired, with a small scar around the end of his left eye, a giant of six feet, rolled his eyes. "Come now love, no need to wet yourself just yet."


	2. Two of One

Two of One.

Sunday [cont...]

Lily and Alice, now joined by Potter were heading to The Three Broomsticks. Lily was sure that he was dying to dish out more of his oh-so-witty comments but was refrained by the sombre nature of their purpose there. It was a slow march, but they were required to keep low and quiet because as much as it chafed, it was more than possible for Death Eaters or Death-Eaters-to-be to be out and about, and the last thing they needed was to be caught unawares. Finally they neared Rosemerta's newly inherited establishment and Lily ran over, abandoning caution. She burst in and Dorcas Meadowes and Marlene McKinnon who were both standing just inside tensed, and barely relaxed even after they saw that Lily wasn't someone unwelcome.

"Are you alone?" Meadowes asked as Marlene moved to offer a one armed hug as Lily stared at the children before her. The children covered with scorch marks, theirs limbs bloodied and bandaged. Those who were intact and conscious all reached for their wands simultaneously and whipped them at her. Lily stepped back, confused.

"What the-?" But then she realised they weren't looking at her, but behind her. She turned to find Meadowes trying to usher a confused and indignant Potter and surprisingly, Alice as well, outside.

"Come on Lily, I'll explain," Marlene pulled at her sleeve.

"What on earth is going on Marlene?" They went over to some injured first years and switched with the two boys who were trying to stem a kid's bleeding.

"I found out from Alice and came over some twenty minutes ago? The fighting got over at least an hour back. Dumbledore wouldn't have approved our lot showing up otherwise. It's still mildly dangerous though," she looked around compulsively, "there's some five volunteer aurors combing the village for any surprises. Madame Pomfrey is over there talking with some Mungo's healer trying to figure out what spell is making these people act like this. The DEs hit them with some form of Imperius curse; they get, er,_ hostile _at the sight of any purebloods. That's why Dorcas shooed out James and Alice."

"Where is Dumbledore though? Or the other professors?"

"Search me."

Lily nodded.

"So, what can I do?" she asked.

"Well, any healing is welcome I think."

"Er, right, healing." Lily fidgeted. "I'm not actually very good with healing," Lily shrugged, embarrassed.

"Oh," Marlene frowned, "Um, I suppose you can ask Dorcas then."

Lily nodded and walked up to Dorcas Meadowes. She was a Gryffindor prefect one year ahead of Lily, and very likely the new Head Girl for the year. She was serious and well respected but Lily didn't much know her outside of prefect meetings. And at the moment, she seemed to be repairing a second year's elbow.

"Hey, Meadowes? I was wondering how I could help? I'm no good with Healing unfortunately."

"That's alright Evans. Madame Pomfrey and Healer Wulman," she jerked her chin in the general direction where Pomfrey and the Mungo's healer were standing, "are the only ones who can do any more healing anyway. You can head on out. Frank is trying to work out a way to get all of these people back up to Hogwarts. They can't apparate. None of them have had the classes yet."

Lily nodded and quickly made her way outside. She found Frank surrounded by a large group of people in the little dumpster space by the back door. Using her meagre height to the rare advantage, she squeezed and elbowed her way to him and mock saluted when he managed to spare her a glance.

"Reporting for duty, Captain"

"Lily," he smiled, "glad you could make it." He winced at that, and added, "I'm just going to let everyone know how we'll be doing this." Lily nodded and stepped back. Frank held up a hand to stop the general chatter.

"Well, there are thirty inside who are injured but capable of apparition and five who aren't. They are all a bit wary of purebloods unfortunately. So, we think we'll let the half bloods and muggleborns handle the transportation. If you could split please, so I can get a rough count?" Everyone obligingly scrambled to Frank's left or right depending on their blood purity. "Okay, thank you," he continued. "Now, there are ten purebloods here," There was no pause or inflection in Frank's words, but the fact stung nevertheless, only ten purebloods had turned up. There were at least twenty five on Lily's side of the division. "So, if you could..." She lost track as someone pulled at her hastily put together ponytail.

"Hey, watch- Remus! Hello!" Remus Lupin was tall, though almost everyone was taller than her. He had brown hair, a thin frame and a stud in his right ear that still surprised her after two years of its presence.

"Lily morsel! How are you doing? You didn't reply to my letter." He pretended to look hurt.

"I was going to reply today! Do you and Black have a competition to see who can come up with the worse nickname, eh? And how has it not got old after a year already? Where's Peter?"

He chuckled, before taking her arm and wheeling her around so they were facing Frank who was still instructing the purebloods.

"Well, it's entertaining trying to predict which one will set you off, and it bugs James when we get away with some of them. Pete's home. His mum didn't let him come."

"How'd he take it?"

"On a scale of one to fourth-year-fiasco, I'd say ten_ over _fourth-year-fiasco."

She winced. Back in fourth year, Peter had been on a date with Margery Ruthers, a muggleborn and some passing seventh years had jeered at him, saying some awfully nasty things and the generally calm Peter Pettigrew lost it. The ensuing duel took out half of Puddifoots'.

Frank turned to them, and Lily took a moment to appreciate this year's Head Students' candidates. Frank Longbottom, strong and broad shouldered, when selected (for she had no doubts about that appointment), would complement Meadowes very well, with his more easygoing disposition.

"Now you lot," he said, "if you could each apparate a person? The seventh years can take two each. Just till the gates? Flitwick's arranged some sort of system from there on? Just wait for five minutes while the first group checks out the route and checks with the aurors and Flitwick. Bones, Bones, Evans, Lupin, a word?"

Those named, went over to where he was standing with Alice, Black, and Fabian and Gideon Prewitt.

"Potter has gone up to the castle to get us broomsticks. The five who can't be apparated, I was hoping we could put a stretcher between two brooms and carry them to the castle."

Lily frowned and exchanged looks with Alice, but it was Edgar Bones who spoke up. "Mate, that sounds like a terrible plan." She glanced at him; he was in Ravenclaw, a sixth year like her. She knew his twin, Amelia Bones; they'd partnered in Transfiguration a couple of times. She didn't know much else, but she was very glad he'd chosen to point that out.

Frank sighed. "I know it sounds dangerous, but they can't apparate, and we can't floo them, we could manually take them by foot, but that would take too much time, and the aurors still haven't cleared the area. But if anyone has any other ideas?"

He looked at them hopefully. Lily wracked her brain, but couldn't come up with much.

"What about the carriages?" Amelia Bones asked.

"We'd need Hagrid to arrange those, and he's not at Hogwarts right now." He waited for any more ideas. None came up.

"Well, Potter should be here in a few, see if you can come up with something by then. I'll go check with Dorcas meanwhile." Frank left.

"Bob! How are you this fine evening?" Sirius Black turned to join Alice, Remus and her as Frank left them to wait. Pushing back his long black hair out of his eyes, he looked Alice up and down and continued, "Alice, my dear, you'll have to work harder if you're going to impress me," he winked at her.

"Where would you like me to punch you Black, eh? Want a black eye? Maybe a bruised groin?" Alice scowled back at him.

"Oh, children, can we please not do this right now?" Remus intervened. "We have work to do, yes? Padfoot, stop aggravating Prewitt. Prewitt, I apologise on behalf of Sirius, I assure you, you look stunning as ever, maybe Frank'll snog you toni- Oh didn't see you there Frank!"

Alice turned around quickly, saw Frank was nowhere around and turned back, fuming that they'd got to her, Remus and Black were guffawing at her reaction. Huffing, she folded her arms and settled in for a round of glaring. Chuckling to herself, Lily greeted Black.

"Black, look at you! Potter's been gone barely five minutes and you're already flirting with others." She tutted. "He'd be crushed"

"Didn't know you cared, Evans!" came a voice from behind her.

"Gah!" Lily screeched, spinning around to face Potter, the grinning git, hovering behind her on his broomstick.

"Quit that!"

"What?"

"Startling me"

"Get your heart racing, do I?"

"I will hex you Potter."

"Truth got you stumped, love?"

"Do not call me that," she muttered through gritted teeth.

"Ooh, scary."4

The people behind them groaned.

"Please don't start a duel, there's no time," Remus sighed.

"Right you are, Remy-poo." Black rubbed his hands together. "Did you get my Lightbolt, Prongs?"

"Yes, I got your inferior broom, Padfoot, please don't try to fly too fast, it might collapse," Potter drawled, stroking his own Nimbus lovingly.

"Oh, please, Prongs, just you wait till they come out with their new Fire series. No one'll even remember the Nimbus."

"You've been saying that for years now. Its sad, really."

"Um, boys, injured children inside? Maybe you could rehash this later?" Lily interjected.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll go call Frank, shall I?" Potter offered. "Here are the others. Alice, Moony, I figured you both took your brooms home, so I got school brooms for you too. Enjoy."

He dumped the brooms he'd been levitating behind him and scampered off to call Frank. Lily and the others hastened to choose the best brooms they could find. Potter returned with Frank who asked them to volunteer into pairs. The Bones siblings and Prewitt brothers partnered up to no one's surprise. Lily ran over to Remus and Alice shot her a dirty look as Frank came over to stand next to her. Black and Potter were together. Lily took minute to appreciate that sentence and smirked to no one in particular.

Together they conjured a stretcher and transfigured the handles to hook around the brooms. Remus added a couple of Sticking Charms as well. The mood shifted as Meadowes and Marlene brought the five students out, levitating them with the help of Madame Pomfrey and Healer Wulman. The victims were gently dropped onto the stretchers and all of them quickly took off, short as they were on time.

" So, what do you think?" Remus suddenly said once they were in the air. She glanced at him but he was looking straight ahead. She considered her response for a moment before giving it anyway.

"Alienating the purebloods from us."

He frowned.

"It won't work."

She didn't reply.

They flew in silence after that. Lily took that time to wonder if Remus could be right. Alice would never turn, Lily was sure. Alice Prewitt was the sweetest person she knew. She was kind, always helping first-years and them across all houses. Alice wouldn't turn. And Frank wouldn't either; he was a good man, one of her oldest friends. He'd never questioned her relationship with Snape, nor mocked her when it had ended.

But the others in her house? James came from an ancient line of purebloods. She knew his parents had been in the Ministry, before it had fallen. They had been aurors, and they'd been of the few brave ones who had deserted the department when Cowerly tipped the previous Minister Sarlam. But no one had heard of their activities since, which was strange because they'd held vast influence. That could mean anything. They could be in hiding, they could be working with Dumbledore, or they could be with Voldemort. The latter was unlikely seeing as James was with them, here, but it was safer to know than to assume. James himself seemed very passionate in his dislike for Voldemort and his followers.

Sirius Black came from a famously dark pureblood family, but everyone knew he'd run away from them. He was as vocal as James, but she wasn't sure it was because he actually hated the blood purity business or because he just wanted to annoy his family. Peter Pettigrew was unlikely to desert James, Sirius and Remus, judging the way they spent all of their time together, almost unhealthily so.

Mary was a half-blood, Marlene was muggleborn, Remus was half blooded and she, Lily was muggleborn. She realised she couldn't even be sure of those in her house and year, people she'd spent five years with, people she had dinner with, and that spoke volumes, more than any attack. If this attack was to serve as a seed for discord within their ranks, Lily wasn't sure if Voldemort need have even bothered. There was no trust anywhere.

Lily sighed, audibly perhaps, for Remus acknowledged it.

"We'll make it Lily, don't worry. Marauder's honour, I promise. You'll be fine."

She adored this boy.

"Thanks Remy-poo."

"Oi!"

She laughed and they talked about Quidditch the rest of the way.


End file.
